ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University provides an institutional framework to support men and women seeking religious vocations. 

“SLU is one of the few Catholic universities in the country that dedicates an entire college to those discerning a religious vocation,” said Randall Rosenberg, Ph.D., dean of the College of Philosophy and Letters at Saint Louis University. “We really do have an institutional structure to support our Jesuits, archdiocesan priests and other religious orders.”

Founded in 1889, Saint Louis University’s College of Philosophy and Letters oversees undergraduate and graduate programs oriented by the Jesuit commitment to intelligent service of faith and justice in dialogue with culture. The programs provide the philosophical and intellectual background needed for further studies in theology and ministry for future priests and nuns, as well as engaged laity within the Catholic Church.

“We have around 27 Jesuits, approximately 30 seminarians from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and a few women religious,” Rosenberg said. “Our graduates go on to be leaders in social justice, education and in their parishes. Our students become leaders who change the world around them and I’m proud that SLU is not just a participant in Catholic education, but a leader in vocational accompaniment.”

In 2018, Saint Louis University and the Archdiocese of St. Louis agreed to bring the Archdiocese’s Kenrick-Glennon Seminary undergraduate program fully into SLU’s College of Philosophy and Letters. Prior to the agreement, seminarians in the Archdiocese would take their first two years of undergraduate classes at SLU before finishing their education at the seminary. Now the seminarians receive their degrees from SLU. 

Rosenberg said the structure of the College allows for the men and women studying there to flourish.

“Our strategic priority is to ensure their goal of religious discernment,” he said. “Within our core coursework in the disciplines of philosophy, theology and history, our students can focus and cultivate a community.”

Saint Louis University is home to one of two Jesuit First Studies programs in the United States and Canada, where Jesuits move into academic work after their Novitiate and before they move on to their regency. The other program is at Fordham University in New York. A third First Studies program at Loyola University in Chicago closed this year.

The Jesuits within the College of Philosophy and Letters reside together in Bellarmine House of Studies, comprised of four houses in a residential neighborhood near the SLU campus. The Jesuit community at Bellarmine typically includes both scholastics and brothers in studies, as well as some Jesuits who have finished their religious formation.

Bellarmine has the distinction of being the only Jesuit scholasticate in the United States that, from its establishment, was embedded within a university setting. Bellarmine House offers scholastics the chance to study the philosophy and theology required in First Studies, as well as the opportunity to work toward master's degrees in philosophy or any other discipline, including social work, education, counseling, history or American studies. The scholastics have Mass and meals together daily, to which they often invite SLU students and other guests.

In addition to their academics, the scholastics are expected to provide eight hours of service each week in the community. They work in homeless shelters, parishes, youth centers, schools and prisons.

“Our Jesuits take a core set of classes together with their cohort,” Rosenberg said. “This allows them to cultivate the ability to reflect deeply while undertaking their intellectual pursuits.”

Rosenberg credits William Rehg, S.J., former dean of the College, with making sure SLU was “ahead of the game” when it comes to educating men and women seeking vocational life.

“SLU took seriously changes in formation guidelines and developed a well-balanced curriculum for our students,” he said. “Bellarmine House is a happy community and has a strong reputation for providing intellectual opportunities within a small but mighty community living together.”

The entire SLU campus is impacted by the College of Philosophy and Letters.

“There is a qualitative impact that you can see,” Rosenberg said. “Our students have a presence on campus. It is a reminder of our Jesuit identity that is alive and well at SLU. These young men who are committed to Jesuit life are an important part of the University. Our lay students take classes with them, interact with them and regularly see them around campus. It is a concrete reminder of the option of vocational life.”

Each Friday morning during the fall and spring semesters, the Jesuits host “Java with the Jesuits,” a free coffee and conversation event at the Lipic Clock Tower Plaza at the heart of the SLU campus.

Rosenberg noted that college students, by definition, are seeking out what they want to do with their lives.

“They are here asking themselves what the world is calling me to do,” he said. “We have students who find their future spouses while at SLU, and we have students who enter religious life. Our students within religious orders are a powerful example of vocational life. Students are thinking about how they are going to serve the world. A Jesuit university should be a place that fosters students looking for their calling in life.”

About Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic research institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,300 students a rigorous, transformative education that challenges and prepares them to make the world a better place. As a nationally recognized leader in research and innovation, SLU is an R1 research university, advancing groundbreaking, life-changing discoveries that promote the greater good.